Latest news with #RitchieTorres
New York Post
6 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Rep. Ritchie Torres demands probe of Park Slope Food Co-op
The Park Slope Food Co-op is cooking up anti-Israel hate — and must be investigated by the city and state, a Bronx congressman urged this week. Rep. Ritchie Torres fired off letters Friday to NYC Mayor Eric Adams, Gov. Kathy Hochul and other city and state honchos demanding the state Division of Human Rights and NYC Commission on Human Rights probe allegations of 'an insidious pattern of harassment, intimidation, and discrimination' against Jews — or anyone who is pro-Israel at the crunchy Brooklyn co-op. 'Anti-discrimination laws must be rigorously and impartially enforced — without exception,' the Bronx Democrat wrote Friday. Advertisement 3 Rep. Ritchie Torres called on both the city and the state to probe the well-known Park Slope Food Co-Op for discrimination. Matthew McDermott The socialist-leaning Union Street institution has long been locked in a holy war over Middle East politics, highlighted by members in 2012 voting down joining an international boycott of Israel products during a contentious meeting that became ripe for mockery by Comedy Central's 'The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.' But in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza, members who support the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement have seized control of the co-op's governance, according to Torres and members sympathetic to Israel. Advertisement 'The cumulative effect is the creation of a hostile environment for Jews, particularly those who affirm a connection to the Jewish homeland,' wrote Torres, who is mulling a run a run for governor. Zara Watkins, a co-op member who opposes the BDS movement, said she was menaced and cursed at last Halloween for wearing a costume paying tribute to the Israeli-made product Sabra hummus. One man 'seething with rage' repeatedly circled her while 'muttering' under his breath, and another dropped an F-bomb and gave her the finger over her costume, she recalled. 3 Zara Watkins, a co-op member, paid tribute to Israel with a Sabra Hummus costume – but faced backlash from other members. Obtained by the NY Post Advertisement 'It really shook me up,' said the lawyer, adding her complaints to the co-op's 'dispute resolution committee' were blown off. Jewish co-op member Ramon Maislen said he tried to thwart efforts by a pro-boycott campaign, known as the Park Slope Food Co-op Members for Palestine, to take over the PSFC's leadership last year by running for a seat on the co-op's board of directors. Maislen, 43, said he not only lost to the pro-BDS faction, but was verbally abused by Israel-hating members on many occasions despite trying to broker a peaceful solution. He and other members said they fear it's only a matter of time before the new leadership institutes a boycott on Israel products, without having members vote on it. Advertisement 'We feel let down by the co-op's leadership, which has done nothing to fester out the hatred that has been simmering,' said Maislen, who heads a political action committee called 'Brooklyn BridgeBuilders' that has raised more than $56,000 to help defeat anti-Israel Park Slope Councilwoman Shahana Hanif in the June 24 Democratic primary. 3 The Park Slope Food Co-op has more than 16,000 members. J.C. Rice The real estate developer filed his own complaint with the state Human Rights Division in October over alleged harassment against members opposing the campaign to boycott Israeli products. The harassment allegedly included pro-BDS members spewing Nazi slogans at Jews and sneering they 'smell of Palestinian blood.' The complaint is still pending. Reps for Park Slope Food Co-op Members for Palestine could not be reached for comment, but they wrote in an open letter that they back a boycott on Israel-made products to ensure the co-op is 'not supporting an apartheid government and unfolding genocide.' Joe Holtz, co-founder of the food co-op, said the PSFC 'is against discrimination of any kind' and declined further comment. Advertisement The co-op, founded in 1973, requires its 16,000-plus members to work 2.75-hour shifts every six weeks, in exchange for the privilege of purchasing heavily discounted groceries and voting on store policies. The city intends to review 'the troubling events at the co-op' and will respond to Torres 'with more information,' said mayoral spokeswoman Sophia Askari. 'Mayor Adams has been clear that far too often we see antisemitic propaganda masquerading as activism, and it has led to an unacceptable rise in antisemitism throughout our city and country,' said Askari. 'This is on full display in incidents at the Park Slope Food Co-op — where Jewish people are being harassed simply for being Jewish.' Hochul spokesperson Matthew Janiszewski said the governor has a long history of taking 'aggressive action to fight antisemitism in New York,' but he added the office cannot comment on pending investigations before the Division of Human Rights.
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
This crypto conference took down an 'anti-woke' ad. I went to see what it was like.
The video ad showed "America" at a therapist's office, where the country described its urge to innovate and was met with resistance from a "woke" therapist, who encouraged America to "channel this energy into something more productive, like coming up with a new gender." The ad was so over the top in its culture war stance that the Solana organization pulled the video a few hours later. I was curious: Would the tone of the conference, which was late last week, match the ad? Not really. I was surprised by what I found. I must report that crypto has entered its boring stage. It's no longer the wacky, eccentric, overhyped goofball world of NFTs and hype of a few years ago. Attendees wore normal clothing (OK, there was one guy in a sequin blazer). The crowd was largely male, in their 30s, and had the look of people who had full-time office jobs in tech. A colleague who was considering attending the conference with me lamented that it seemed a far cry from the NFT conventions of a few years ago — no good parties or big musical performances. There weren't gimmicky cartoons or celebrity endorsements. These were serious people who were here to work. With a caveat: The silly NFT and Constitution DAO days weren't that long ago, and even though the crypto industry has matured in certain ways, it's not that far off. At least one person I chatted with who had appeared as a speaker onstage to talk about stablecoins told me he used to work at OpenSea, the NFT trading platform, and still proudly owns a few NFTs. The big topic most of the speakers hit on: stablecoins. Stablecoins are often meant to be tied 1:1 to a fiat currency, like the US dollar. In theory, these are, well, stable (sort of) and intended for use as digital currency rather than a pure number-go-up speculation play. This is very much the hot thing of the moment. Last week, the GENIUS Act, which would create regulations for stablecoins, passed the House and is heading to the Senate. Politics did cast a long shadow on the event. Two New York Democrats gave fireside chats: Rep. Ritchie Torres and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand talked about regulation, and both mentioned their distaste for President Donald Trump's memecoin. "Trump being involved in crypto is the worst news for this industry," Gillibrand said, to scattered applause. There was also political representation from the other side of the aisle. There was big applause for Bo Hines, who funded his failed 2022 campaign for the 13th congressional District in North Carolina with his own trust fund, and is now working under David Sachs as a sort of deputy crypto czar to Trump. Anthony Scaramucci, a character whose political affiliation is somewhat quixotic, enthused about the speed of crypto transactions compared to his early days on Wall Street. But it shouldn't be a surprise that the politics here weren't black-and-white. Crypto has a way of drawing mercurial ideas out of people that don't fall straight down party lines. Which is why the ad for the event, which espoused the meat-and-potatoes anti-woke viewpoint, seemed so out of place. So, is crypto boring and mainstream now? It almost seemed that way without the over-the-top glitz and pomp of the diamond hands emoji Lamborghini-loving crowd. (The same morning, a little over a mile away from the event, two people were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and torturing a man to get his bitcoin password.) This has long been a dichotomy in the crypto world: the grounded engineers and business people working on projects with utility vs. the get-rich-quick schemers, crooks, and scammers. The attendees I chatted with were the former type — and they found real use and value in this conference.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
I went to a crypto conference, and it was nothing like I expected
Solana's Accelerate conference in New York City was full of buzz about stablecoins. It lacked the flashy the over-the-top goofiness of earlier crypto conferences, which is probably good. There was some muted talk about politics, mainly about regulations. I wanted to go to the Solana Accelerate conference as soon as I saw the trailer for the crypto confab. The video ad showed "America" at a therapist's office, where the country described its urge to innovate and was met with resistance from a "woke" therapist, who encouraged America to "channel this energy into something more productive, like coming up with a new gender." The ad was so over the top in its culture war stance that the Solana organization pulled the video a few hours later. I was curious: Would the tone of the conference, which was late last week, match the ad? Not really. I was surprised by what I found. I must report that crypto has entered its boring stage. It's no longer the wacky, eccentric, overhyped goofball world of NFTs and hype of a few years ago. Attendees wore normal clothing (OK, there was one guy in a sequin blazer). The crowd was largely male, in their 30s, and had the look of people who had full-time office jobs in tech. A colleague who was considering attending the conference with me lamented that it seemed a far cry from the NFT conventions of a few years ago — no good parties or big musical performances. There weren't gimmicky cartoons or celebrity endorsements. These were serious people who were here to work. With a caveat: The silly NFT and Constitution DAO days weren't that long ago, and even though the crypto industry has matured in certain ways, it's not that far off. At least one person I chatted with who had appeared as a speaker onstage to talk about stablecoins told me he used to work at OpenSea, the NFT trading platform, and still proudly owns a few NFTs. The big topic most of the speakers hit on: stablecoins. Stablecoins are often meant to be tied 1:1 to a fiat currency, like the US dollar. In theory, these are, well, stable (sort of) and intended for use as digital currency rather than a pure number-go-up speculation play. This is very much the hot thing of the moment. Last week, the GENIUS Act, which would create regulations for stablecoins, passed the House and is heading to the Senate. Politics did cast a long shadow on the event. Two New York Democrats gave fireside chats: Rep. Ritchie Torres and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand talked about regulation, and both mentioned their distaste for President Donald Trump's memecoin. "Trump being involved in crypto is the worst news for this industry," Gillibrand said, to scattered applause. There was also political representation from the other side of the aisle. There was big applause for Bo Hines, who funded his failed 2022 campaign for the 13th congressional District in North Carolina with his own trust fund, and is now working under David Sachs as a sort of deputy crypto czar to Trump. Anthony Scaramucci, a character whose political affiliation is somewhat quixotic, enthused about the speed of crypto transactions compared to his early days on Wall Street. But it shouldn't be a surprise that the politics here weren't black-and-white. Crypto has a way of drawing mercurial ideas out of people that don't fall straight down party lines. Which is why the ad for the event, which espoused the meat-and-potatoes anti-woke viewpoint, seemed so out of place. So, is crypto … boring and mainstream now? It almost seemed that way without the over-the-top glitz and pomp of the diamond hands emoji Lamborghini-loving crowd. (The same morning, a little over a mile away from the event, two people were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and torturing a man to get his bitcoin password.) The night before I attended, Trump held a dinner for top holders of his memecoin, where the crowd was reportedly somewhat disappointed by his brief speech and the mediocre food. This has long been a dichotomy in the crypto world: the grounded engineers and business people working on projects with utility vs. the get-rich-quick schemers, crooks, and scammers. The attendees I chatted with were the former type — and they found real use and value in this conference. But as a mere fly on the wall, I kind of wanted a little more of the latter group, just for the entertainment. Read the original article on Business Insider Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Wall Street Journal
4 days ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
How SALT Pits the Rich vs. Poor in New York
In your editorial 'The GOP's SALT Deal Folly' (May 22), you rightly criticize House Republicans from New York for securing an increase in the state-and-local tax deduction. The giveaway, you note, will subsidize 'profligate Democratic-run states.' But SALT isn't merely a red vs. blue issue; it also pits the poor against the rich. New York is a perfect example. Internal Revenue Service data for 2022 shows that New York is home to five of the top 50 congressional districts with the most taxpayers affected by SALT. Rep. Mike Lawler's district ranks 29th, and Rep. Nick LaLota's 39th. But New York also has four poor districts that have among the fewest taxpayers affected by SALT. Ranking 422nd is Rep. Ritchie Torres's district in the Bronx, which had an average income of $36,265 in 2022. The average income in Mr. Lawler's district was $144,270.
Business Insider
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
I went to a crypto conference, and it was nothing like I expected
I wanted to go to the Solana Accelerate conference as soon as I saw the trailer for the crypto confab. The video ad showed "America" at a therapist's office, where the country described its urge to innovate and was met with resistance from a "woke" therapist, who encouraged America to "channel this energy into something more productive, like coming up with a new gender." The ad was so over the top in its culture war stance that the Solana organization pulled the video a few hours later. I was curious: Would the tone of the conference, which was late last week, match the ad? Not really. I was surprised by what I found. I must report that crypto has entered its boring stage. It's no longer the wacky, eccentric, overhyped goofball world of NFTs and hype of a few years ago. Attendees wore normal clothing (OK, there was one guy in a sequin blazer). The crowd was largely male, in their 30s, and had the look of people who had full-time office jobs in tech. A colleague who was considering attending the conference with me lamented that it seemed a far cry from the NFT conventions of a few years ago — no good parties or big musical performances. There weren't gimmicky cartoons or celebrity endorsements. These were serious people who were here to work. With a caveat: The silly NFT and Constitution DAO days weren't that long ago, and even though the crypto industry has matured in certain ways, it's not that far off. At least one person I chatted with who had appeared as a speaker onstage to talk about stablecoins told me he used to work at OpenSea, the NFT trading platform, and still proudly owns a few NFTs. The big topic most of the speakers hit on: stablecoins. Stablecoins are often meant to be tied 1:1 to a fiat currency, like the US dollar. In theory, these are, well, stable (sort of) and intended for use as digital currency rather than a pure number-go-up speculation play. This is very much the hot thing of the moment. Last week, the GENIUS Act, which would create regulations for stablecoins, passed the House and is heading to the Senate. Politics did cast a long shadow on the event. Two New York Democrats gave fireside chats: Rep. Ritchie Torres and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand talked about regulation, and both mentioned their distaste for President Donald Trump's memecoin. "Trump being involved in crypto is the worst news for this industry," Gillibrand said, to scattered applause. There was also political representation from the other side of the aisle. There was big applause for Bo Hines, who funded his failed 2022 campaign for the 13th congressional District in North Carolina with his own trust fund, and is now working under David Sachs as a sort of deputy crypto czar to Trump. Anthony Scaramucci, a character whose political affiliation is somewhat quixotic, enthused about the speed of crypto transactions compared to his early days on Wall Street. But it shouldn't be a surprise that the politics here weren't black-and-white. Crypto has a way of drawing mercurial ideas out of people that don't fall straight down party lines. Which is why the ad for the event, which espoused the meat-and-potatoes anti-woke viewpoint, seemed so out of place. So, is crypto … boring and mainstream now? It almost seemed that way without the over-the-top glitz and pomp of the diamond hands emoji Lamborghini-loving crowd. (The same morning, a little over a mile away from the event, two people were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and torturing a man to get his bitcoin password.) The night before I attended, Trump held a dinner for top holders of his memecoin, where the crowd was reportedly somewhat disappointed by his brief speech and the mediocre food. This has long been a dichotomy in the crypto world: the grounded engineers and business people working on projects with utility vs. the get-rich-quick schemers, crooks, and scammers. The attendees I chatted with were the former type — and they found real use and value in this conference. But as a mere fly on the wall, I kind of wanted a little more of the latter group, just for the entertainment.
